Method of making a girdle of deposited latex with reinforced areas



WITH REINFORCED AREAS Filed April 2, 1954 Ill/ll Wll/IIIII S. E. ROSENBERG METHOD OF MAKING A GIRDLE 0F DEPOSITED LATEX 'lIII/l Illllflll Sept. 17, 1957 United States Patent Gfiice 2,806,257 Patented Sept. 17, 1 957 METHOD OF MAKING A GIRDLE OF DEPOSITED LATEX WITH REINFORCED AREAS Stig E. Rosenberg, Brockton, Mass.

Application April 2, 1954, Serial No. 420,481

1 Claim. (Cl. 18-58.6)

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 244,815, filed September 1, 1951, now Patent No. 2,705,798. The invention relates to girdles of.v deposited latex having reinforced local areas at predetermined locations for various purposes such, for example, as the support of removable garters or other pendent members, and. to a method of making the same. It is an object of the invention to supply girdles of deposited latex which are equipped with easily detachable garters and which strongly support such garters when attached. Latex girdles are generally made with thin walls which are apt to tear easily compared with girdles made of textile materials, especially when a cut or tear is started. According to the present invention local areas are reinforced so that when slits are cut therein to receive garters or the like, the girdle will hold the garters against all ordinary stresses which are liable to be imposed thereon. The reinforcement of such local areas can be made by introducing into the wall of the girdle a thin piece of stronger material or by materially increasing the thickness of the wall by causing added latex to be deposited on such local areas, the thickness of the material at the margins of such areas being tapered so as to avoid lines of weakness along the boundaries of the areas of extra thickness. To obtain this tapering of marginal thickness, solutions of different concentrations of a coagulant are applied to the form which is to be dipped in the latex bath as hereinafter described, the stronger solution causing a thicker layer of latex to be deposited on the area moistened therewith.

Thickened areas at the lower edge of the girdle are provided with horizontal slits through which garters may extend. A toggle element at the upper end of the garter prevents it from pulling through. According to the invention, an improved toggle element is formed on the upper end of the garter, such element being molded to a fiat shape with any desired contour, the upper end portion of the garter being embedded in the element in the molding operation so that it is firmly gripped thereby.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof and to the drawing, of which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a girdle embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a form with a moistened area, and a device for applying solution;

Figure 5 is a similar view showing a second moistened area and a device for applying the solution to this area.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevation of the girdle shown in Figure l, a portion of the front wall being broken :away to show some of the rear wall;

Figure 7 is a section on the line 77 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the upper end portion of a garter and an improved toggle element thereon;

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a section similar to Figure 9 but of a modified form of garter structure;

Figure 11 is an elevational view, on a small scale, of a (garter having a modified form of toggle at its upper en Figure 12 is a fragmentary sectional view of a girdle with a reinforcing element embedded therein and a garter extending therethrough; and

Figure 13 is a fragmentary front elevation of a girdle having reinforcing elements embedded therein.

An improved girdle 20 is shown in Figure 1, this girdle having areas of extra thickness at various locations for various purposes. Two small areas 22 are on the front Wall of the girdle to support garters. Two similar areas 24 are on the rear wall for a similar purpose. Each of these areas has a horizontal slit 26 through which a garter may extend as hereinafter described. Along the top edge of the girdle a number of small areas 28 may be distributed to eliminate or reduce curling of the top margin. On the front wall of the girdle is a larger area 30 of extra thickness to reinforce and stiffen this part of the girdle to some extent without unduly adding to the weight of the girdle. The reinforcing area 30 is shown in the form of a sort of grid consisting of a series of nested Vs of different sizes, the ends of the Vs being joined by bands 32 which give the area an outer contour approximating a diamond shape.

An ordinary girdle of deposited latex is made by dipping a suitably shaped form, preferably a plate of aluminum or the like having the desired contour, into a bath of prepared latex. When the form is withdrawn from the bath, a film of wet latex remains on its surface. This film dries and coalesces. The dipping operation is repeated until the successive films have built up a coat of desired thickness. The deposited coat is stripped from the form either before or after the material has been vulcanized. Various other operations such as perforating, trimming and applying fibrous flock to the surface may be performed in suitable sequence to produce the finished article. The girdle is turned inside out during or after its removal from the form. The surface which was next to the form thus becomes the outer surface of the girdle and the surface which was the outer surface on the form becomes the inner surface of the girdle when worn.

According to the present invention a suitable coagulant salt solution such, for example, as calcium nitrate is applied to selected areas of a form 36. When the form is then dipped in the latex bath, the film builds up more rapidly in thickness on the areas which have been mois tened with salt solution, the degree of extra thickness depending on the strength of the solution as well as the time of immersion. When areas of considerable extra thickness are desired, I avoid abrupt changes in thickness by employing two or more solutions of different strength, the solutions being applied in such a way that the central portion of each moistened area is covered with a film of solution of the strongest concentration, this central portion being surrounded by one or more marginal areas or borders of weaker solution or solutions, so that the thickness of the film deposited on the marginal areas tapers from the maximum of the reinforced areas to that of the basic film deposited on the areas unmoistened by any salt solution. The salt solutions may be applied in any convenient manner. By way of example, a pad 40 of absorbent material is shown in Figure 4, this pad having a contour similar to the shape of the corresponding area on the form to be reinforced. The pad 40 may be mounted on a suitable back-plate 42 with a handle 44 if the solution is to be applied manually. When the pad has been dipped in a solution of suitable strength it is pressed briefly against the form at the desired place or places, thus forming moistened areas such as that indicated at 46 in Figure 4. Then a pad 50 of absorbent material having a contour similar to but smaller than that of the pad 40 is dipped in a stronger solution and pressed against the form to deposit a film ofthe stronger solution on the central portion 52of the area 46, leaving a marginal area of weaker solution surrounding the area 52 of stronger solution, as indicated in Figure 5. The pad 50 may be mounted on a back-plate 54 with a handle 56. 'When the form is then dipped, the thickness of-the reinforced areas 22 tapers off as indicated at 58 in Figure 3 to the basic thickness of the girdle 20. In like manner the areas 28 and 30 may be formed by the application of one or more salt solutions just before the form is dipped:

Detachable garters are provided for the girdle. Each garter comprises a conventional clasp member 60 secured to an end of a short length of elastic tape 62. A toggle. element 64 is secured to the other end of the tape 62. The toggle element shown in Figures 7 to of the drawing comprises a disc or plateof molded rubber or the like in which the end portion of the tape 62 is embedded. The disc or plate may be of any desired shape, the contour shown in Figures 6 and 8 being kidneysl-iaped. The toggle element 64 may be made by putting the end portion of a strip of elastic tape on a part of a suitable mold, placing a quantity of unvulcanied rubber mixture on the end portion of the tape, placing a piece of thin fabric such as satin on the rubber mixture, closing the mold, and applying heat and pressure to vulcanize the rubber. The fins of excess rubber which is extruded from the mold when pressure is applied are trimmed off with the fringe of satin which projects beyond the contour of the toggle element 64. The result is as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the end portion of the tape being embedded in and firmly gripped by the rubber of the toggle element 64, the other face of the toggle element being faced with a fibrous layer 68 of satin or other suitable material which is more comfortable for contact with the skin of the wearer. If preferred, the end portion of the tape 62 can be put between two layers of the unvulcanized rubber in the mold. The resulting structure is as shown in Figure 10, the end portion of the tape being buried in the material 66 of the toggle element.

Another form of toggle is illustrated in Figures 11 and 12. This comprises a small plate 70 of sufficiently rigid material such as metal. Two parallel slits 72 are cut in the plate and the edges of the slits are sprung apart sulficiently to permit the end portions of an elastic tape to be threaded through the slits. The slits are then closed to grip the tape firmly. The plate 70 is thus a toggle element adapted to pass through a slit in a girdle and to support a garter, for example.

Instead of or in addition to thickening local areas of the girdle wall for the support of garters or the like, reinforcing patches 72 of other material may be embedded in the girdle wall (Figures 12 and 15). These patches are of any suitable material of sufiicient strength. Each patch has a slit 74 the length of which is slightly greater than the width of the tape or other pendent accessory to be supported by the girdle. The reinforcing patches 72 may conveniently be incorporated in the girdle wall by being applied to the dipping form between any two successive dips in the latex bath.

7 I claim:

A method of making a latex girdle, which comprises applying to local surface areas of predetermined shape on a form a film of coagulant solution of relatively low concentnation, applying to a similarly shaped but smaller area within each said local area'of wet coagulant a fihn of a similar coagulant solution of relatively high concentration, and thereafter dipping said form in a bath of prepared latex.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,255,630 Petrullo Feb. 5, 1918 1,257,856 Haun Feb. 26, 1918 1,353,070 Regan Sept. 14, 1920 1,719,633 Teague July 2, 1929 1,989,717 Szegvari Feb. 5, 1935 2,058,552 Becher Oct. 27, 1936 2,095,107 Szegvari Oct. 5, 1937 2,115,560 Ogilby Apr. 26, 1938 2,196,492 Clark et al. Apr. 9, 1940 2,288,840 Raiche July 7, 1942 2,360,736 Spanel Oct. 17, 1944 2,365,016 Spanel Dec. 12, 1944 

